BAGO champions EPIS, the bulwark for players in Belgium
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4 Aug 2026 •
Reading time: 2 minutes
Whilst debates surrounding gambling often focus on the risks of addiction, BAGO wishes to highlight the central role of EPIS. According to the association, this self-exclusion system is now one of Belgium’s main safeguards for protecting vulnerable players and ensuring responsible access to gambling.
BAGO champions a system at the heart of player protection
For BAGO, EPIS is not merely an administrative register. The association presents it as an indispensable pillar of player protection.
Every time a user logs on to a licensed gambling website or visits a casino, slot machine hall or betting shop, licensed operators are required to consult this database, which is managed by the Federal Public Service Justice on behalf of the Gaming Commission. This check is also mandatory for bookshops offering betting services. Its aim is to immediately prevent access to individuals subject to a self-exclusion order, regardless of the reason.
The figures highlight that not all exclusions are linked to addiction
As at 1 July 2026, EPIS had recorded 201,531 cases of exclusion. However, as BAGO points out, fewer than half of these cases are directly linked to potentially problematic gambling behaviour.
The same person may be recorded under several exclusion categories. The number of cases therefore does not necessarily correspond to the number of people affected.
The EPIS register is not a list of people suffering from gambling addiction, but a legal tool that brings together several types of exclusion.
A person may voluntarily request to be excluded so that they can no longer access games of chance. A request may also be submitted by a close relative, such as a partner, a parent or a child.
Registration may also result from a court order, particularly in the context of a collective debt settlement.
Finally, certain professional categories are excluded as a preventive measure. Notaries, bailiffs, magistrates and members of the police force are among the professions concerned.
BAGO calls for recognition of EPIS’s role
BAGO believes that the combination of systematic checks carried out by authorised operators, voluntary exclusions, court orders and exclusions provided for by law makes EPIS an essential tool for protecting the most vulnerable players whilst ensuring compliance with Belgian regulations on gambling.